THE ONE WITH A MEET CUTE IN THE BAR

[onhold]

Karina doesn't usually linger after her set's complete. It's not that she doesn't want to support her fellow artists, it's that she just doesn't have the time. Turns out that have a triple-life doesn't get any less exhausting, even once you've graduated high school. Tonight, though, she has a rare reprieve; no new planned promotions with Blue Rose are on the cards, everything's either already been done or isn't going to start until after the New Year. Thus, Karina breaks her routine.

She lingers.

It hasn't been too long since she's been legally allowed to drink, and she's still working out her favourites. By the time she's nursing a gin and tonic over at the bar, the next singer is ascending to the stage. A small part of her thinks it will be good to see what the competition is doing. A larger, now more honest part of herself just wants to kick back and enjoy the show.

Comments

[thirdbeauty]

The next singer is a newcomer - a tall and rather casually dressed young woman, with a shock of vivid blue hair in an otherwise neatly tied back fusion of a loose bun and ponytail. Her short skirt shows off her long legs, but she otherwise doesn't intentionally draw attention to her curvy, somewhat top-heavy figure.

She's modest and unassuming as she takes the microphone, clearly not entirely used to the spotlight. There's maybe even a bit too long of a pause before the music starts, and she begins to sing.

It starts off quiet, but over the course of the song she grows a little bolder and puts more energy into the appropriate parts. It gets her energized for the rest of her set, some of which is a little more upbeat. Yet, to a professional's eye and ear, she's clearly still a little nervous and uncertain.

It doesn't necessarily help when her eyes meet Karina's briefly, and her mouth goes a little dry. Natsuru knew Karina sang here too, but she never stayed to watch anyone else before! Here she is, barely getting started, and Karina Lyle is actually watching her perform. It takes all of her willpower to stay upright, to sing the songs without her voice trembling and try to ignore the pressure.

She's sweating a little by the end, and not just because of the stage lights. Politely thanking the audience, she steps down and, after a moment, over to the bar.

She'd thought Karina would leave by now. Her heart pounds and she nervously touches her hair, averting her gaze as if she might get burned by looking directly at her. What could someone like her have possibly thought of Natsuru's performance? She wants to know, but she's terrified to find out. She plays through about a billion ways to say hello in her head in the few footsteps it takes to make her way over, never sure if she really intends to actually do so.

By the time she arrives, all she can manage is a soft clearing of her throat that doesn't sound particularly aimed at anyone, before she quietly asks the bartender for some water. She nervously twists her hands while she waits, still not quite sure if she should greet Karina or not.

[onhold]

Karina, of course, hasn't left yet. She's barely touched her drink, distracted as she was by bobbing her head along to the music. Taking a sip of her drink through a straw as the other woman makes her way over, Karina doesn't think much at all before throwing her a thumbs-up. (A thumbs-up? She must be spending too much around Tiger.)

"Hey!" she calls out, legs swinging around to angle herself towards Natsuru. "You did good."

[thirdbeauty]

"Eh?"

She wasn't sure what to say even after the thumbs-up, but Karina's voice shatters through her nervous haze and forces her to realize what's actually happening. Karina's turned towards her, and is talking to her! Complimenting her, even! The flush of her cheeks growing deeper, she nervously touches her hair and gives the blonde a bashful, but also pleased, smile.

"Oh... it wasn't much, compared to you! I mean, you were so amazing up there! And this is just my first night." She pauses, realizing that her thoughts are just spilling out unfiltered, and tries to rein herself in a bit. "Er... th-that is... thank you. I'm... glad you stayed to watch..."

She takes a breath, so embarrassed she avoids eye contact for a moment. But soon enough, she's brushing her hair aside while turning to face Karina properly. She feels a nervous little flutter and her heart starts racing all over again when it really hits her that the singer she's admired so much is sitting right there, and did just give her a compliment.

[onhold]

It is odd to hear such genuine praise from a fan when she's just being an ordinary civilian, and Karina can't say she's not flattered. She feels the flush creep up her throat before she shakes her head to clear her thoughts, does her best to remind herself it's not a big deal. Just one singer complimenting another. Tucking a strand of loose hair behind her hear, she gestures at the seat next to her. "Do you have some time? You should sit."

She takes another sip of her drink.

[thirdbeauty]

Sit? With her? Natsuru freezes up for a second, mouth slightly agape and unable to quite form words. Finally, she manages a quiet little 'ah' sound that seems to break the spell.

"Yeah... sure." Eyeing the seat Karina gestured to, she smiles and nods appreciatively. "Thanks."

It's not a moment too soon. She's starting to feel lightheaded, and the extra stability from taking the seat next to Karina helps. She's even closer to her now, though... she's sure the pounding of her heart must be obvious.

"It's really nice to meet you, Miss Lyle! Oh, and I'm Natsuru... if you didn't hear."

She realizes belatedly that Karina's been there the whole time, making the introduction probably unnecessary. Also she doesn't want to presume that Karina would be okay with Natsuru using her first name, so 'Miss Lyle' it is until she's told otherwise.

[onhold]

As Natsuru settles down into her seat, Karina takes the opportunity to give the other woman another look-over. Is it her imagination, or does Natsuru look a little... ill? Maybe it's just the lighting. She brushes the thought aside for now, motions imitating thought as she tucks away another errant strand of hair. "Yeah, I did hear," Karina affirms with a jerk of the head towards the stage. "And you can just call me Karina." It's a bit, no, totally weird to have someone speaking to her with titles and formalities when she can't even return the gesture. And hey, Natsuru is another singer, right? Karina mightn't have lost her competitive streak, but if the past few years have taught her anything, it's that friendships are more important than pointless rivalries or whatever.

"Are you going to get something to drink?" She cocks her head to one side. No, yeah, she definitely looks a bit ill... "Or even just water, maybe?"

[thirdbeauty]

"Alright... Karina." Yep, that brings her blush up another notch. "Just water, yeah." She gives a meaningful glance to whoever's tending bar, then turns back to Karina with that nervous smile again. "I always stick with water after I sing."

She doesn't know if that's actually the best thing to do, since she hasn't had any formal training. But not knowing what to avoid before and after a performance makes water seem the safest to her.

"Um, what about you? You probably know all the tricks, huh?" Even aside from professional interest, there's so much she's curious about with Karina. It's all she can do to keep from bursting forth with dozens of questions all at once and probably seeming like a crazy person.