Frontier Town Sun Stone Saloon

[Sinderella]

“Thank you, thank you, you’re too kind,” Odette said over the ensuing applause as she finished off her set. “And if you’re not clapping, please head over to the bar and get a few more drinks in you before the next set.” She paused through the slight laughter, before adding “And that’s not an optional invite.”

Grinning slightly as more laughter echoed through the busy lounge, she left it at that and sauntered off the stage, stretching her arms above her head as she did. That had been an easy set, all things considered. With all the utter shit banging around in her head, it was a wonder she could—

Snivy. There was a snivy speaking to her. The snivy from her group.

Compliment, pay attention.

“I—“ she started, shaking her head. “Thank you,” she answered, nodding once in thanks. “Belting’s the only thing I’m good at,” she added in a snicker. At the follow-up, all she could do at first was roll her eyes.

“Please, couldn’t write a love song like that if I tried. I like my lyrics with more underlying grit.” It was already out that she was an off-worlder, so she saw no point in being coy about it.

“No, that was by a band from where I’m from. They called themselves ‘Heart,’ if you can believe it. But, they could call themselves whatever the hell they wanted, honestly. They knew what the fuck they were doing with their music.”

 

[Shadow Serenity]

“Please, couldn’t write a love song like that if I tried. I like my lyrics with more underlying grit.”

"I tend to prefer mine a little heavier in general, myself," Kimiko said with a nod, then turned to glance over her shoulder at all the guests. "Not sure that would go over well with this crowd, though."

She turned back to the mawile with a light shrug. "Don't mind something a bit slower sometimes, though. Depends on my mood."

“No, that was by a band from where I’m from.

"I've heard of 'em, actually," Kimiko admitted with a sheepish smile. She was already having trouble keeping track of who was human, who was not, and who hadn't admitted to either, but knowing the same musician took some awkwardness out of the air. "Performed a song or two of theirs myself on occasion. They really do. Good choice, given the atmosphere here. Who else did you bring along?"

She shifted her weight to her other foot, eyes darting to the bar area, and then realized she was interrupting this 'mon's break. But she also realized she wasn't keen on letting this go, either. "Sorry, I don't mean to harass you. Were you- um, can I get you a drink?" At least then Kimiko wouldn't feel as bad taking up her time.

 

[Sinderella]

Odette made her way over to the table she sat at between sets, where a water was already waiting for her. As she picked it up, she started snickering to herself.

“You’d be surprised. Some might hate it, but the ones who like it really like it,” she explained.

At the indication that the snivy had actually heard of Heart, and even sung some of their songs, Odette did a double take. It had been a bit of a bait yes, but she wasn’t expecting the snivy to actually know what she was talking about.

The once over she gave her was suspicious, with a look that all too blatantly said “Are you human?”

“Elton John. Delta Rae. The Civil Wars. Fleetwood Mac. Bill Withers,” she listed slowly, her eyes not leaving the snivy’s face. Looking to gauge a reaction. “To name a few.”

She watched with an air of amusement as the snivy became a little more frantic.

“No harassment here. This might be the start of the best conversation I’ve had all day.” Gods knew she needed one, after learning about what happened on the highway. She gestured to one of the empty chairs. “Be my guest, though the proprietor here is usually liberal with the bubbles I can snag myself. Besides, I’d wanna know what to call you first.”

 

[Shadow Serenity]

“You’d be surprised. Some might hate it, but the ones who like it really like it,” she explained.

"Is that implying you've performed some heavier songs here?" Kimiko asked as she followed the mawile to a table, once again observing the guests. "Hard to imagine they would do well, but maybe I'm just not used to this vibe yet."

The once over she gave her was suspicious, with a look that all too blatantly said “Are you human?”

“Elton John. Delta Rae. The Civil Wars. Fleetwood Mac. Bill Withers,” she listed slowly, her eyes not leaving the snivy’s face. Looking to gauge a reaction. “To name a few.”

She didn't miss the look the mawile gave her, but figured the unspoken question would be answered by the implications behind her words as she nodded along at the list with a grin.

"Also good choices, the ones I recognize at least. Closer to what I'd expect to hear in a place like this, anyway. I, uh... I imagine you're recently employed, then? Do you know what they were playing before you showed up?"

“No harassment here. This might be the start of the best conversation I’ve had all day.”

“Be my guest, though the proprietor here is usually liberal with the bubbles I can snag myself. Though I’d wanna know what to call you first.”

There was an underlying note in her voice that Kimiko couldn't place right away (her first thought was exasperation). Maybe just a busy day engaging with people? She knew that could certainly take a toll. But the mawile didn't linger on it long enough to work it out, instead prompting for information of her own that made Kimiko blush in embarrassment.

"Oh! Right, what even are manners, anyway? Sorry. I'm Kimiko, pleasure to meet you!"

She gestured back to the bar, noting the water that had already been waiting here for the mawile. "So what do you normally get, then? Any recommendations?"

 

[Sinderella]

Kimiko. That struck her as a very Kantonian name, but she didn’t have much of an accent…hard to pinpoint ethnicities when the apparent former-humans weren’t in their bodies.

“Nice to formally meet you, too, Kimiko,” she said. “Odette.”

She took a seat and went back to sipping on her water. “Employed from the second day I got here, yeah. If I had to guess, prior to my residency the singers dabbled in more local tunes. I taught myself a few of them just in case, but the off-world picks have been the most successful,” she said. “To answer your question, yes, I have pulled out the darker stops. The key to making them work was tapping into my music theory chops and working them into a sound that suits this…” she made a sweeping gesture with her hands “…world.”

The smile she followed up with was sheepish. “Though, folk is one of my most studied genres so that definitely helped.”

Finishing off the water, she set the glass aside. “As for what’s good, Mr. Bossman made me a gin and tonic with razz and pecha the other night that I managed to down two of. Otherwise, I can’t imagine you’ll go wrong with much of anything here. I know jack shit about alcohol so I could grab a glass of whatever champagne and be perfectly content.”

 

[Shadow Serenity]

Odette, huh. Her name sounded human enough, although she was pretty sure there were natural 'mon among the group too, so no way to know for sure based on that.

“To answer your question, yes, I have pulled out the darker stops. The key to making them work was tapping into my music theory chops and working them into a sound that suits this…” she made a sweeping gesture with her hands “…world.”

"So you changed the sound to make them better suit the setting," she said with a nod. "Impressive! If you can do that, you can probably write a love song if you really wanted to. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it's been a hit. It's familiar to us, but here, it's all new. Hell, if you're twisting how it sounds, it's by definition not the same song we knew either."

“As for what’s good, Mr. Bossman made me a gin and tonic with razz and pecha the other night that I managed to down two of.

"I'm not big on alcohol either, but that does sound pretty good... hang on, are you allowed to drink on the job?" she asked as the sudden thought occurred to her with a frown. "Maybe we should save that for afterwards..."

“Employed from the second day I got here, yeah.

"Second day?" Kimiko whispered, mostly to herself. Given the music familiarity, there was no question that Odette was part of their group... and had been one of the ones to settle down near immediately after arriving.

"Can I ask you something, one off-worlder to another?" she questioned, her voice lower. "What made you go looking for a job so quickly? How were you able to just... forget about your former life and settle down?"

 

[Sinderella]

Odette was nodding along with what Kimiko was saying. “A western cover for a western setting,” she affirmed.

Following that, something a little more…troubled crossed her face. “And trust me. I have no reason to be writing love songs.”

If she could help it, she’d never touch “love” again with a hundred-foot stick and a hazmat suit. It was harder than it sounded, but still.

She appreciated Kimiko’s more lighthearted question, and shook her head. “I wouldn’t do it, personally, but don’t let me stop you if you’re looking to loosen up. It’s money in my paycheck,” she said through a half-smirk.

She stopped talking for a while, clearly mulling over what Kimiko was asking her. “It was truthfully a spur-of-the-moment thing. I was under the impression I would need to make rent, so it was at the back of my mind pretty much upon arrival. I went exploring around town, happened across this place, saw a stage, and figured that if I needed to make money, I’d have a better time doing it if I was doing something I was good at. So I chased the owner down and put on a little clown show for him.” A shrug. “Now, here we are. He’s making bank and I’m not doing grunt work in the sun.”

She shook her head again. “It wasn’t really anything about ‘forgetting my former life.’” Though I could certainly stand to pretend it doesn’t exist sometimes. “It was more about…the fact that I’m in a new place and need to survive. But I also wanted to do what was going to work for me. If I could. You know?”

 

[Shadow Serenity]

"Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense," Kimiko replied with a small chuckle, if only to acknowledge she'd heard the answer. "Something that works for me, huh...?" she said, again under her breath.

She took a few moments to respond, mulling over Odette's explanation. She let the drink topic drop; she'd get something dinner when they were done if Odette wasn't looking for anything. Kimiko didn't want to be rude. And there was something in her expression when she'd talked about the love song that Kimiko decided it best not to pry too deeply into this stranger's personal life. Or at least, the parts of it that she wasn't struggling with, herself.

"It sounds like you didn't have any trouble accepting that you were in a new place for the long haul," she started, cautiously. "I've been making a living off some of that grunt work from that job board just outside town. I figured that was good enough to pay my rent and not starve. I guess I underestimated how long we'd all be in town. It still hasn't entirely sunk in yet." She let a hand wrap around her necklace, apparently subconsciously.

Then she sighed before continuing. "Buuut it's quickly becoming clear that we're gonna be here a while, and I... I'm having a hard time admitting to myself that I'm probably gonna need to find something more stable. Kinda feels wrong, like I'm exchanging my old life for a new one, or..."

She trailed off as another thought poked her brain. Isn't that why you accepted the call in the first place?

She shook her head, ignoring the thought. "Sounds kinda silly when I say it out loud like that."

With another quiet sigh, she set a vine on the tabletop, and rested her chin on the bulb at the end as though it were her palm, then looked out over the seating area. Her voice was lighter when she spoke again. "Wish I'd let myself check this place out when I first got here. Looks like you found yourself a nice, cozy setup. Don't suppose your band could use a backup singer, huh?" she joked, her voice dry.

 

[Sinderella]

Odette nodded along with what Kimiko was saying, soon deciding she had some sympathy to give. Once they’d checked into the Haus, she’d been pretty certain that their stay was indefinite. But, she couldn’t fault anyone for not automatically assuming the same.

However, it got her thinking. She really had settled into her existence here rather quickly in comparison…the crisis she’d had in her room about missing her electronics aside. After coming to terms with that, though, she’d just supposed there was no real reason to grouch about the circumstances. She had willingly accepted the call, anyway.

Besides, she’d been so fucking mad when she decided to go. Maybe that had been what had her so fueled to go along with an unknown voice, and subsequently fueled her to be more willing to accept the things that came. Acclimate without much bitching and moaning. Worrying about making do in this world helped her temporarily forget what had made her so fucking mad back home, and everything that had happened before…

Perhaps a little cowardly of her. Mostly stupid. Entirely reckless. This world had its own set of problems, so really, what was different aside from the desert and body swapping nonsense?

“Not exchanging,” she corrected Kimiko. “More just…experiencing a change of pace for a while.” Whether she was saying that for the snivy or herself, she couldn’t say.

Her brows raised at Kimiko’s halfhearted question. She momentarily cut her gaze back to the stage. “I wouldn’t have any qualms singing with someone who knows who Heart is,” she said. “But, it’s not my place to say; I’m just an employee.”

She nodded over toward the packed bar. “However, Greasewood’s really into us off-worlders. We did him a solid putting Bird Ass behind bars. If you have the chops for it, I’d bet my coin he’d give you a job.”

 

[Shadow Serenity]

“Not exchanging,” she corrected Kimiko. “More just…experiencing a change of pace for a while.”

Kimiko tilted her head at the comment, taking a moment to consider it. She hadn't wanted to run away, exactly... she was just tired. She'd wanted a break from ghosts and curses and cults. She knew full well going into it that answering this call could be more of the same. There had been no way to really know what she'd be getting herself into. But she'd been desperate enough to try, and she'd (hopefully) be doing someone else some good in the process. It had made sense.

Odette's tone implied she'd had her own reasons behind her statement, too. "I guess you're right," Kimiko said, trying to will herself to believe it. "It is only temporary, after all. Might as well enjoy the experience. It's not every day one finds themselves in the body of a pokemon." Usually they're the ones in you. Stupid ghosts.

“I wouldn’t have any qualms singing with someone who knows who Heart is,” she said. “But, it’s not my place to say; I’m just an employee.”

Her attention snapped back to the mawile sitting across from her. "Oh, no, I wasn't-" she started, but again, cut herself off. Why shouldn't she? Hadn't she just said she needed to get used to being here? Find something that worked for her?

"You think so?" she said instead, taking a peek back at the whimsicott behind the bar. "I don't doubt I have the skills for it. I've got a pretty damn good voice too, and I'm not awful with a guitar either. But... He looks kinda tough." Not at all what she'd have expected from a living cotton ball. She wasn't sure why she'd commented on it, though... Nerves, maybe?

Stalling again. Just commit!

"And I wouldn't want to step on any toes. He's already got a performer, after all. And it's not like I helped kick out the mayor just to hold it over the heads of the locals."

At least, she assumed that's who 'Bird Ass' referred to.

 

[Sinderella]

Odette chuckled. “You can play guitar? You already have a leg up over me,” she said jokingly. All she had were basic piano skills. “He is tough, but only if you’re an ass,” she added. “Otherwise I’d say he’s pretty fair.”

Quirking a brow, she gave Kimiko a once over. “He has more than one, you know. No reason why you couldn’t be on the roster. And framing it like it’s blackmail or something is just the wrong way to look at it,” she said. “You’re just asking for a job, not a handout. The worst he could say is no.” That half-smirk came back. “And if you’re that confident in your abilities, I don’t see a problem. Count me interested.”

 

[Shadow Serenity]

Of course he would have more than one. Why wouldn't he? What a stupid thing to overlook.

Kimiko nodded, grinning now. "I'm looking at a lot of things the wrong way recently. Thank you for the chat, it really helped clear my head a bit and set some things in order. Maybe next time we can chat about your fashion, that outfit is adorable." And I feel super under-dressed.

She got up from the table and headed towards the bar. She still felt somewhat anxious, so she couldn't tell whether Odette had followed or not. She settled herself down, and waited for the swarm of people to clear out. Then she flagged down the whimsicott.

"Excuse me, sir... I wondered if you had any openings for another performer?"

 

[Jackie Cat]

The cotton-fae darted over in what seemed like two hops and half a second. He sure could move quick.

"Always got openings for talent," he replied, extending a small hand to shake. "What's yours, miss...?"

 

[Shadow Serenity]

The whimsicott appeared in front of Kimiko before she could blink. She had worried perhaps she might have been a bit too up-front, so she was pleasantly surprised by his response. She could already feel the bundle of nerves settle a bit.

Good. Breathe. Relax. It's a gig, not a test.

"Kimiko, sir," she answered with a smile, extending a vine to shake his offered hand. It still amazed her how easily she'd adapted to using them, not just as supplements to her 'normal' hands, but in place of them.

"As for talents..." She forced herself to maintain eye contact as she began to list them off. "I'm a musician where I come from. Lead singer, mostly, but I've been known to pick up a guitar on the occasions my boyfriend would make for better vocals. Pretty quick study, too, so if someone needs filling in elsewhere, I could get by with a small heads up. Respectable dancer if you have need of that. Or a performer, but I've dabbled at bit in acting, too."

She glanced quickly back at the mawile - long enough for the whimsicott to notice. "Odette tells me you treat your staff well, and I'd be happy to earn my keep."

 

[Sinderella]

Odette kept a distance as she followed Kimiko over to the bar. She wasn't looking to speak for the girl but definitely wanted to linger nearby purely for possible support and maybe some eavesdropping. She took a moment to greet some patrons, as she was on the clock above all but was still attentive enough to the other conversation to nod back when Kimiko glanced in her direction.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Greasewood smiled warmly as he shook Kimiko's vine.

"Oh, marvellous! A real renaissance gal, eh? I can tell from your face that you mean what you say, and that's good enough for me – though I hope you'll give us a demonstration... Ah, but I'm told you fallen-from-the-heavens types didn't get to bring your personal effects with you – I suppose that leaves you without an instrument? Luckily for you—"

The warm smile became an impish grin, and the Whimsicott darted away in a flash, only to be back inside a couple seconds and holding a laquered wooden case.

"This was my father's," he said. "Now, now! No objections, Miss Kimiko. You will be very hard-pressed to find an instrument of any quality on your budget. Consider it a perk of the job."

He placed it on the countertop with great care and clicked the lid open. A classical guitar lay nestled inside – its wooden body was caramel and burnt orange, and had a cutaway at the base of the neck, for its player to reach the higher frets.

"Never could get the hang of it myself, so I've been holdin' on to it just in case." He chuckled at what might have been an intentional pun. "Apologies if it's a little different to what you're used to, miss. I believe it's called a requinto. Little smaller and higher, for us shorter folks."

He pushed the case towards Kimiko, with a nod.

 

[Shadow Serenity]

A... demonstration? Kimiko would have expected that to come before the acceptance, but she wasn't about to complain just because it had caught her off guard. She assumed he'd meant her voice, since that was the main thing she was here for, but Greasewood darted away and returned before she could even decide what song she was going to do.

The whimsicott must be a mind reader, because Kimiko had absolutely been about to object when he presented his father's guitar. She figured the place had it's own set of instruments that she'd use, not that she'd be given one of his family heirlooms! She stared in disbelief when he opened the case.

The guitar was clean, very well-crafted, and apparently well loved. Kimiko hesitated to even touch the thing, but... well, she couldn't turn it away, either. There was a sparkle in her eye when she reached over and very delicately picked it up with her vines.

"This is a beautiful guitar," she said, looking it over, testing the strings. He was right, it wasn't nearly as heavy as she had been expecting. "Thank you, Mr. Greasewood! I'll take care of it as if it were my own, and I'll make it play the most beautiful music you've ever heard." She held it carefully, as though it were some fragile diamond.

"...except for right now," she added as she adjusted the instrument's position, trying to find a comfortable combination of 'normal' and 'vine' hands to hold and play with. Meanwhile, she'd have to figure out how to adjust the song she'd thought of, but at least she could cover up any inconsistencies for the moment, until she was able to properly sit down and re-write the music. "Forgive me if the playing doesn't entirely match the lyrics yet, I'm still not used to this body." She realized what she'd said immediately, and hastily attempted to correct it. "I mean, the body of the guitar. You're right, it's smaller than I'm used to." There, demonstration of her acting prowess. Still, she shot a quick side-eye at Odette to see if she caught the slip up.

It was one thing to perform in front of a crowd, where she could focus on the performance, but she was beginning to feel a bit self-conscious with just her new boss and Odette watching her personal mini performance. Or maybe it was just nerves playing this new instrument in a new form. Regardless, she took a deep breath and began to play. She wouldn't go on long, just enough to tease what she could do. Her voice was soft as she began to sing...

"Tides of glass, return to ash
In the dawn, we follow the path away from the sun
Shadows cast, in wake of the past
Reaching out, into the dark and out of the light"

She cleared her throat and turned back to the whimsicott. "Yeah, I think I'll get the hang of this quickly enough. So... do I pass?"

 

[Jackie Cat]

Greasewood listened politely with his chin resting on his folded hands. His fae eyes seemed to sparkle.

"Why, I dare say you have the voice of an angel," he drawled, tongue-in-cheek. He snickered. "Don't let my joshin' ya ruin the moment, though. You're the genuine article, Miss Kimiko. Consider yourself hired."

He adjusted his glasses and extended a hand to shake.

"I've not got the nose for show-business, so I'll let Odette here onboard you and make arrangements. She knows the entertainment schedule better'n I do at this point. I just listen to folks jaw and serve 'em drinks."

He winked, as if to imply he did rather more than just that.

 

[Sinderella]

Odette had stopped with her idle mingling to listen to Kimiko's impromptu audition. She found herself nodding along, having turned on her listening, more critical ear. But truthfully, she was rather impressed with the snivy's skill and even offered a soft round of golf claps when she was done.

And just like that, Kimiko was hired. Odette supposed it was pretty nice to have a coworker she knew she could talk about off-world stuff with, especially off-world stuff of a more human nature. Though, she wondered what shift Kimiko was going to--

Oh. That was her job to figure out. When she was regarded, Odette pointed to her chest as if making doubly sure Greasewood was indeed referring to her. Yeah, she supposed she did know the schedule a little too well; she wasn't doing much else lately aside from working her shifts and training. Her chest swelled with momentary pride as she realized Greasewood trusted her enough to deal with new hires after only working there for a few weeks.

"Sure thing Mr. Bossman," she said with a salute. "I'll get her up to speed. You just keep mixing and mingling and...all that."

She nodded her head back toward the stage, motioning Kimiko to follow her. "See?" she said when the snivy approached. "And you were about ready to talk yourself out of asking about a job. I don't think that could have gone any better." She gestured to the requinto. "And you got a family heirloom instrument out of it. You're in."

 

[Shadow Serenity]

"Why, I dare say you have the voice of an angel," he drawled, tongue-in-cheek.

But truthfully, she was rather impressed with the snivy's skill and even offered a soft round of golf claps when she was done.

Between Greasewood's lighthearted teasing and Odette's approval, Kimiko felt her face begin to heat up in a blush. (Damn it...) Modesty aside, she was proud of herself for proving she was still capable of performing. She set the guitar back into its case, and once again extended a vine to shake the whimsicott's hand. "Thank you so much, sir! You won't regret it."

Then she turned to follow Odette back towards the stage. "Yeah, honestly, that was the smoothest gig I've ever gotten. Thanks for the support." And she meant it; despite being a virtual stranger, having Odette nearby after her pep-talk did help Kimiko keep her nerves in line.

She shifted the guitar case on her back. "You weren't kidding about him having a soft spot for us off-worlders. You've sure left an impression on him. I didn't expect you to be running things around here."

So it was done, then. She'd hunkered down and got over the first hurdle. But with the easy part taken care of, there was plenty more new work to handle in the future. "I don't want to take up too much of your time, but... are you free after your shift? I figure I should probably start by going over what you've already been performing, getting used to the altercations you've done to each song, y'know? Crowd favorites and all that. Maybe see if I have anything I can contribute."