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Post by ANTONIAmariaBARTHALDI on May 21, 2009 20:53:55 GMT -5
It was so hot. Heat seemed to be radiating from the pavement, making her skin slick with sweat. Toni couldn't take it anymore and wound her brown hair up into a sort of lazy bun to let the little, practically nonexistent breeze blow over her neck. In one hand she held a book, a book of Ibsen plays. Currently she was thrown head long into Hedda Gabler, one of her personal favorites. Besides most of Shakespeare's works.
Hedda had just learned of a man's death, and she had wanted him to go out with a bang, a glorious death, and is about to be disappointed.
HEDDA: What a beautiful act ... a shot in the breast!
BRACK: I fear I must dispel your illusions ... for poor Mrs. Elvsted's sake I thought it best to put a little luster over the facts.... He is already dead. He was found shot in the boudoir of ... a "professional lady."
HEDDA: But the bullet entered his breast?
BRACK: No--the bowels.
HEDDA: What curse is it that makes everything I touch turn ludicrous and mean!
But before she allowed herself to process all the implications, for probably the millionth time in her life, she stumbled, causing herself to slam the book shut and make a few uneasy and embarassing steps.
Toni straightened out, impulsively glancing around to see if anyone had seen her practically fall.
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Post by rae on May 22, 2009 15:07:35 GMT -5
Indie flicked his hair to the right side of his face, smiling as he watched people pass him on the street. Noone looked remotely happy with the heat; most of them looked down right miserable. All of them had to be somewhere, either that or just get somewhere in the shade and cool. Some unfortunate few had sweat on their faces, their hair sticking to their faces. If Indie was not alone, he would have laughed. Instead, he wriggled his shoulders so the gutair strapped to his back felt more comfortable, and continued walking down the street.
A ciggerette between his lips, Indies big blue eyes scanned the hurried people walking past him. None of them bothered giving him a second look, and if they did, it was only to look distastefully at him. He was wearing three-quarter lengths, which were stripped blue and white, and a white t-shirt with a blue print on it, on his feet he wore dirty white plimpsols. He could tell what some of them were thinking, but he was not offended. His audiences were not these types; they would be out having fun. Usually, this would be were Indie would be found, or in practise, but instead he found his way to a PR meeting. Sometimes, he thought life would be easier if he was not signed to any music label; at least then he could do as he wanted, instead of having to worry about being photographed stumbling out of a club drunk.
Indie drew on his ciggerette, holding it between his fingers on his right hand. He walked mindlessly, not paying attention to any of the people walking past him. This continued for about ten minutes, but as he stopped to light yet another ciggerette, a young girl caught his eye. A small smirk played on his lips, and his big blue eyes glanced over her. He stood still for a few moments, before noticing her stumble. Quickly, he reached forward and held her elbows to steady her, making sure his cigarette pointed away from her. "Whoops, you okay?" he smirked, his accent thick but gentle. |
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Post by ANTONIAmariaBARTHALDI on May 22, 2009 15:23:10 GMT -5
Anotnia blushed deeply as she felt the hand on her elbow and his voice--an accented one at that-- interrupting her embarrassing moment. "Yeah, I'm fine," She nodded with a smile. "I tripped over my own feet." She chuckled lightly, looking away. What did you say at a time like this?
Maybe her mother was right, she was too shy, not forceful enough. She did better when everything was written out for her, but even so... maybe her mother was right, maybe she wasn't cut out to be an actress, she couldn't even pretend she wasn't embarrassed.
Then again, maybe work was better left at home.
"Thanks just the same."
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Post by rae on May 22, 2009 15:36:16 GMT -5
Indie's small smirk turned into a gentle smile as he held onto her for a moment longer. Her cheeks were now a gentle scarlett colour; she was obviously blushing. He released her elbows, bringing the ciggerette to his lips and raising his thin black eyebrows as she spoke. A light chuckle accomponied the smoke he blew it from his mouth and nose. "It always seems that your feet want to trip you up when you're walking on your own. It's like they want you to look a mug," he laughed, with a small shrug. His gutair was getting heavy on his shoulders, so he shifted it slightly. "You're just lucky you didn't fall completely. Now that would have been embarrassing."
Again, Indie flicked his hair, his baby blues watching her carefully. He always did his best to read people, whatever people, as soon as he met them. It was a habit he had developed when working the London streets; you could never be too careful when it came to the London underworld. Some people may have seen this as a threat, others look at it as endearing, but whatever, Indie did it all the same; he could not stop himself.
"Hey, it's alright," he told her, his soft smile still playing on his lips. His accent, he found, was his downfall at times. It was light, gentle, and English, but coming from the South, he often did not pronounce every T, or every H. "What kind of gentleman would I be if I'd had let you fall?"
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Post by ANTONIAmariaBARTHALDI on May 22, 2009 15:44:54 GMT -5
"This is New York, most people would have passed." She said with a shrug. Toni really didn't want to think about if she had really fallen on her ass--how embarrassing!! This was well enough. She noticed his guitar, it seemed dumb to ask him if he played it, but just starting a conversation might not be the most wonderful idea. he probably had places to be and things to do.
"So what kind of music do you play?" She said finally, nodding toward the case he held.
ooc- sorry its so short ><
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Post by rae on May 22, 2009 16:14:10 GMT -5
Indie had a long toke on his ciggerette before flicking it to the floor and then crushing it beneath his dirty white plimsol. The butt just added to the collection already squashed onto the concrete of the pavement. "I suppose," he shrugged, "But I'm not from New York." He was still smiling his soft easy smile. He had this sort of lop-sided grin that made his big blue eyes glint and his nose crinkle ever so slightly. "If you couldn't already guess." His hands slipped into the pockets of his three-quarter lengths, feeling at the packet of Malboro Lights. He smoked far too much far too quickly; it was what kept him off the hardcore stuff.
Looking casually over his shoulder at his gutair, before smiling back at her, he shrugged. "Acoustic stuff, really. I don't really know what genre you could put it under, everyone thinks different. You might have heard some of my stuff, my label has been playing it over some of the big radios a few times," he said, shiting his weight to his left leg, "Though I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't. Indie Williams?"
ooc;; no worries, same here lol
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Post by ANTONIAmariaBARTHALDI on May 22, 2009 16:29:49 GMT -5
"I figured that out. You worrying about being a gentleman proved it." She said with a grin. Toni watched him crush the cigarette out on the dirty pavement. She of course wasn't a smoker and thought people should use ash trays, but she realized how difficult that was really, and understood. She showed nothing on that.
"It sounds familiar, But I couldn't say for sure. I'll keep an ear out though." She said with a smile, tucking a hand into her back pocket, the other one still holding her book. "I'm Antonia Bartholdi, but just call me Toni." She said figuring he'd said his name, so she might as well say hers.
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Post by rae on May 22, 2009 16:44:41 GMT -5
Indie laughed lightly, winking at her. "Well I do hope I've come across as a gentleman," he said, still smiling, "Bad for my public image otherwise." He bit on his lower lip, the left corner of his lips curling upwards still. His fingers stroked the corner of his ciggarette packet, then his nails started picking at the cardboard. He caved, pulling them from his pocket and taking one from the box. Last one. He slipped the empty packet into the open pocket of a man passing by. It went unnoticed, which caused Indie to smile smugly as he lit the ciggarette between his lips.
Drawing on it deeply, he smiled. "Toni," he repeated her name, the 'O' exaggerrated in his accent, the name rolling of it tongue so it sounded smooth. "Nice to meet you, Toni."
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Post by ANTONIAmariaBARTHALDI on May 22, 2009 16:53:23 GMT -5
"Yes good for your image, plus girls will love it if you're a gentleman," she pointed out. Not dropping hints, just the fact, that girls loved guys who treated them kindly. Most girls anyway. Well adjusted ones.
Toni laughed lightly. "Nice to meet you too. I hope I'm not holding you up." He might have had somewhere to be--unlike herself. Toni had no where to be for the next couple of days, and she was excited about that.
She figured he was busy, what with his music and all. And they were strangers, but he seemed nice enough to try to talk to again.
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Post by rae on May 22, 2009 17:11:26 GMT -5
"The girls that actually listen to my music anyway," Indie joked, reaching up a hand to push his fringe away from his eyes again. There was no wind yet it always managed to find its way into his line of vision, no matter how many times he flicked or stroked at it. As expected, it fell right back over his right eye. He gave up, raising his cigarette back up to his lips and breathing deeply from it. "As long as I'm shifting records it doesn't matter. Any sale is appreciated." He laughed lightly, though he would not admit out load he did appreciate some of the 'groupies', it made him feel the real rockstar.
Indie pulled his phone from his pocket; he had three minutes to get to this PR meeting, but he casually sighed with impatience as he put his phone away. There was no point in turning up, they would just repeat what they said last time. It was a waste of his time. "Actually, you are doing me a favour," he sighed, taking another drag, "Unless you have to be somewhere?"
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Post by ANTONIAmariaBARTHALDI on May 22, 2009 17:18:00 GMT -5
She smiled. "I have absolutely nowhere to be. The only think I have to do this weekend is practice for my audition a bit, so I have all the time in the world. Toni wasn't sure how she was doing him a favor, or what he was referring to with such a sigh. But it didn't matter, Toni liked the company, and if it would help him, there was no down side.
"Want to just keep walking? Or go get coffee? or....?" She felt sort of weirds just standing in the middle of the sidewalk talking to him, but maybe he didn't mind. They just weren't friends and so doing something else along with talking would be helpful. Probably.
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Post by rae on May 22, 2009 17:36:25 GMT -5
Indie smiled. "Coffee sounds great. Caffine would be much appreciated," he sighed, still with that silly lop-sided grin. Toni came as a much needed distraction, and a good one at that. It would feel so normal to just go and have coffee with a young girl. No alcohol, no drugs, no negotiations, no taking advantage of teenage girls. Just coffee. Simple to some, fantastic to him. "Know anywhere good closeby? I'm not a regular on this street..." He glanced around, his eyebrows slightly furrowing.
Someone walked too close to him, bashing into his gutair. "Hey, hey," Indie called after them. The suited man turned around, shouting obscenities. Indie smirked, reeling his head back. New York was more like London then people thought. "Mate, keep it quiet, eh? Watch where you're going in future, or you might just be walking into someones fist." Indie shrugged off whatever was being shouted back. "Lead the way, lovie. Something tells me I'm in the way here."
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Post by ANTONIAmariaBARTHALDI on May 22, 2009 17:41:10 GMT -5
Toni watched quietly as some hurried business man bumped into Indie's guitar. She was glad they didn't get into a fight, and he was so... soft spoken about it. She figured that guitar meant a lot to him. And he didn't hell curses or anything. She was gaining respect for him, hoping she would find a friend in him as well.
She was nineteen, finished with her first year of college and she still felt sort of off and alone sometimes, a friend, of any kind would be nice. Even one who wasn't exactly the sort of person she typically hung out with.
"There's a Dunkin Donuts around the corner," She said pointing to their left. "Let's go." Toni smiled and started off in that direction.
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Post by rae on May 22, 2009 17:55:27 GMT -5
Indie grinned like a little boy, beginning to follow her. His hands were now thrust in his pockets, his last cigarette finished, as his plimpsols barely made a noise on the pavement. He turned his head slightly, looking down at her. There was something about her he found himself intrigued by. She was shy, yet confident; quiet, yet friendly. It seemed she was a walking talking oxy-moron, and he found himself beginning to like it. To him, she was a story that he wanted to read. It was strange how he could tell things like that about people on their first meetings, but his past had led him to become a good judge of character.
"So what is this audition for?" Indie asked her, recalling what she had said earlier. He ducked his head as he saw a group of girls pointing in his direction; he was not in the mood today.
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Post by ANTONIAmariaBARTHALDI on May 22, 2009 18:07:40 GMT -5
She looked up at him as she felt his eyes on her, meeting them gently with a smile. Toni always found she could only act on stage, in person she was just her, a strange mix of shyness and sureness. She would do anything once she was sure she was ready for it. And she could act like anybody, but only with other pretenders. In life, it was better you let people see you as you. Starring Toni B. as herself. That sort of thing.
"Oh, I'm sorta of an actress, I'm auditioning for an off Broadway production Hedda Gabler." She said handing him the book of play--well holding out for him in case he wanted to take it. "I don't want to be Hedda though." She doubted she had enough power. But Mrs Elvstead, perhaps. She didn't care at all. She just wanted a shot.
AS they reached the Dunkin Donuts, she held the door open for him politely.
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