You've got to be what tomorrow needs!
ALIAS
McKenna Chase
AGE
21
Civilian
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Jun 17, 2017 11:35:13 GMT
Post by Ashley McKenna-Chase on Jun 17, 2017 11:35:13 GMT
 I Need Noise Honestly, Ashley had barely had time to think about her chance encounter with the budding DJ over the last few weeks. Everything was going at double-speed lately in her life and it didn’t leave many minutes in the day for pondering. And, even then, her pondering was dominated by thoughts and fears of her brother’s new superhero lifestyle. He and Alive gave her regular updates but unfortunately these did little to dispel her worries. Alice had accidentally put some drug dealer through a wall, after all.
Nevertheless, Cory’s text had been a wonderful reminder of that electrifying remix Ashley had first heard back in that Starbuck’s. She really needed to throw a finished version of that in the direction of her label some time.
She shot back a reply instantly, demanding further details and offering her congratulations. She wasn’t busy that Friday night anyway and it felt like a good opportunity to get together with some friends and listen to a talented aspiring artist.
________________________________________________________________________________
Neon bracelet firmly on her arm, Ashley followed Marcus into the decent throng of people filling the space. Marcus worked in an absolute dive precisely so that he could afford these nights out in venues that weren’t just brawls waiting to happen. Electryk seemed to tick this particular box. They were meeting another friend here too, but she was running late as usual, even though Ashley had lied about the start time to avoid such an occurrence. Oh well, Dana was sure to show up eventually.
Marcus did not have to wear the band-of-shame and subsequently had headed off to order his first drink at the bar. Ashley hovered several feet back, untempted by soda. She was more hoping that Cory would come good on her offer of bar food.
“So, is your friend hot?” Marcus asked, reappearing with drink in hand.
“Probably,” Ashley said, laughing. “I wouldn’t know. I guess she’s pretty.”
“Nice,” said Marcus.
“Too pretty for you,” Ashley interjected quickly, prodding him. “But that’s not the point anyway. It’s her music which is really impressive.”
Marcus nodded, one eyebrow raised in amusement. “You are still such a geek, Ash.”
“What?! It is amazing – you’ll see.”
“It better be, I don’t normally drag my sorry ass out this early and this sober on a Friday night.”
Ashley merely rolled her eyes in response.
She was genuinely so pleased for Cory and hoped that this first gig wouldn’t be the last she’d get to witness. Just one half of a remix had managed to show so much promise; she couldn’t wait to hear the rest of Cory’s repertoire.
Ashley cast her eyes about until she spotted Cory, grinning widely.
Hi, she mouthed across the dancefloor.
Then, echoing Cory’s initial awkwardness from the first time they’d met, she slowly raised her hand to wave stiffly before slowly dropping it back to her side.
She watched the set-up eagerly. She couldn’t wait for this.
“Dana’s on her way,” Marcus informed her, flashing his phone screen briefly in her face. “So I guess we’ll see her in three hours?”
“If we’re lucky,” Ashley replied with a smile. She wasn’t too worried if Dana showed or not. Ashley was only really here for one thing and – judging by the sudden lighting change – it was just about to begin. |
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Jun 17, 2017 22:36:21 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2017 22:36:21 GMT
live fast, die young
She was so stupid nervous in the tiny, dirty green room littered with empty pizza boxes and beer cans from other employees backstage that she couldn't figure out how to sit comfortably on the sofa. 'So you're a DJ?' asked one of the bar staff that had come back for break, kicking his feet up on the crowded coffee table between them and sifting through apps on his phone. "Uh, yeah. First time. Should be interesting," she chuckled at herself.
He looked briefly over his phone at her and shrugged his shoulders, 'They're drunk anyway. Just dance and look cool.' Her face scrunched for a second - not a response she was entirely expecting - and gave a flat "Thanks..." in return. She hoped that wasn't the bar for being a 'good' DJ. She'd spent way too much effort in making her stuff sound good for people not to at least think it was fun to dance to relatively sober.
When she'd come out to start setting up, plugging in her own laptop and making sure all the amp chords were where they needed to be, she caught a glimpse of a tiny wave in the back from the only person who seemed to be looking over at her. Cory focused her eyes into the darker part of the small club and saw McKenna's excitable face and stiff hand. She'd be lying to herself if she didn't admit that she was over the moon that the artist had showed up.
It was like a fairy tale, honestly, this whole thing. She'd probably wake up from the dream soon but it was better to soak it in and enjoy it while she could. The lights had dimmed for the evening and Cory finished up a few more clicks on her laptop before hopping off the stage and jogging McKenna's way. "Hey! You made it!" she greeted, a wide smile on her face even as she looked to the man that she presumed was more than likely a date of some kind. Or maybe some kind of super young bodyguard.
"I'm Cory," she offered a quick handshake. "If you're hungry, go for it at the bar, whatever you want," her hands lifted for a double thumbs up, "They told me guests eat free Thursdays and Fridays. Not drinks unfortunately," an understanding and disappointed expression cast the boy's way. Thankfully she wasn't nearly as awkward as she'd been their first meeting; a bit more in her element now. "You're gonna dance, right?" her smirk and eyebrows angled with attitude and challenge towards McKenna, head leaning back slightly, "Kiiiind of a requirement. Because the bass here is killer."
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You've got to be what tomorrow needs!
ALIAS
McKenna Chase
AGE
21
Civilian
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Jun 18, 2017 12:14:17 GMT
Post by Ashley McKenna-Chase on Jun 18, 2017 12:14:17 GMT
I Need Noise The big smile on Cory’s face was infectious as she made her way towards them, her eyes having lit up upon noticing Ashley’s presence. Ashley was amused to read the DJ’s t-shirt – yet again she was sporting some kind of amusing slogan, clearly not afraid of drawing attention to herself in her attire. Ashley felt simultaneously over and under-dressed in her dark jeans and vest-top, the only real adventurous part of her outfit being the high heels on her feet. It had been hard to decide what to wear – it wasn’t like she frequented clubs much – but she felt like she’d played it too safe. Next time.
She watched as Marcus shook Cory’s hand, his eyebrows clearly quirked in interest.
“Nice to meet you,” he said with a grin. “I’m Marcus – looking forward to your set.”
“Marcus works in a bar so I’ve promised him a fresher playlist,” Ashley explained cheerfully. “Apparently there’s only so many times a dude can listen to the Top 40 on repeat.”
“Ugh,” said Marcus, by way of agreement.
Ashley gasped excitedly. “Free food? I am so getting me some nachos later. Do I just give them my name?” Which name would she give? Probably McKenna… she hadn’t thought to mention that it was just an alter-ego before. She should probably inform Cory at some point – not right now though.
“I’ll dance!” she insisted. “My friend Dana’s gonna be here soon and she would sooner die than see me playing the wallflower.” True, and a good reason to invite Dana to such events. She was definitely in her element as a sorority girl, which meant Ashley always had a good time with her. In small doses.
Additionally, Ashley happened to think of herself as quite a good dancer. She attributed it at least in part to her deep affinity for music – a good sense of rhythm and flow went a long way.
“So, you gonna play my song, Coryelle?”
She didn’t even try to keep the excitement from her voice. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2017 5:32:16 GMT
live fast, die young
Marcus, the date she'd surmised, was definitely the casual clubbing type who had done this before. He was in his element, relaxed with the noise and amount of bodies around, and even made the casual McKenna look stiff as a board. A chill dude. "Marcus works in a bar so I’ve promised him a fresher playlist." "No pressure," Cory's white teeth glistened back at the singer's cheery tone. Her attitude was impossibly contagious. "Apparently there’s only so many times a dude can listen to the Top 40 on repeat." "Oooo," she put her hand to her heart and winced with empathy, "I don't think I could wish that hell on anyone, man..."
When the mention of food perked McKenna up, Cory couldn't help but give a small chuckle at how amusing it was to see this small, young girl in front of her shamelessly ready to pig out like a frat boy. They had that in common. "Just tell them you're friends of mine, they have my name on their roster thingy. Whatever it's called," she shrugged, looking back quickly to the booth awaiting her now that the tech people were starting to clear out from the huge speakers bordering and dwarfing it. "Shoot, I think I gotta head up-," when her head turned around to explain, the question caught in first and had a smooth change drenching over Cory's expression. A very proud, very slick grin and raised eyebrow accompanying the "Oh hell yeah..." that escaped her alto tone before she turned to jog off and away with a wave. "You better dance!"
She was nervous. Her heart was practically hammering in her chest. Cory hid it well under a seemingly natural calm that no one who hadn't met her wouldn't have been able to see through, but it did happen to melt into something genuine after she dropped her first tune and heard the cheer of the small crowd that was eager and ready to dance. The positive reaction was like a drug to her and it carried her happily on through the set, hands flicking with attitude across dials and sliders, head bobbing constantly to the beat, and eyes flicking over to occasionally see if McKenna was keeping true to her word on dancing.
Then the last few beats of a dying measure transitioned into the first hints of the same song she'd started in the Starbucks, a little cleaner than they had been, and taking full advantage of the speaker's balanced and powerful system that shook the floor. It was hard to believe she was jamming to a small remix she'd made for the hell of it with its vocalist and writer doing the same just yards away. Without any cockiness, Cory was quite proud of her efforts and the finished product.
She was grinning at her new acquaintance the whole time - electric and having a blast - and when the beat dropped... the lights dipped out only to explode back to life with a vibrant new color. It had the house jumping; she rode it like a high with her own cheer along with the crowd, fist in the air, headphones bouncing around her neck, and then eventually went back down to her dials and knobs with a laugh of joy and a wink McKenna's way. |
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You've got to be what tomorrow needs!
ALIAS
McKenna Chase
AGE
21
Civilian
|
Jun 24, 2017 18:41:41 GMT
Post by Ashley McKenna-Chase on Jun 24, 2017 18:41:41 GMT
I Need Noise True to her word, Ashley was having the time of her life as she danced to Cory’s set-list. It was a good mix, definitely better than your usual college party playlist, and honestly it would have been difficult not to keep her promise. Marcus spent a lot of time heading to the bar but was generally pretty good company. It was nice to have a guy friend who wasn’t afraid to dance – even if his sole mission on the night was definitely to get drunk. A mission that, by the time Dana had arrived, was well on its way to completion.
“MACDADDY!”
The shriek in her ear was instantly recognisable – there was only one person who used that cringe-inducing nickname.
Two long, olive-toned arms pulled her into a sudden squeeze, lifting her momentarily from the ground. It was all the confirmation she needed.
Extracting herself, Ashley grabbed her friend’s hands. “Dana she just played my song, she just played my song and they loved it!”
Dana swayed a little before her. Despite not being 21 yet either, there was no neon bracelet dangling from her arm, and she’d obviously been pre-gaming. “I know! I just got here when it came on. Shit, I was jammin’, there’s no way I can resist a bit of MacDaddy.” She grinned. “Sorry I’m late, I ran into Homeless Toby and turns out he’s got a place now! So I like… went to check it out, and then Rosa was there so we did a few shots to celebrate, duh. And I guess I just lost track of time – you know how it is…”
Marcus appeared with two drinks in hand, one of which Dana took with a triumphant giggle.
“I can’t believe you know this chick, you so have to introduce us.”
Ashley nodded enthusiastically. “For sure. Now dance!”
________________________________________________________________________________
Ashley waited for Cory’s set to come to an end before she took up that offer of free food. Specifically, an enormous plate of nachos for her and Dana to share. Marcus was definitely looking a little worse for wear by now and was off throwing shapes on the dance-floor to the amusement of those who still managed to hold onto a certain degree of sobriety.
“Man,” Ashley said, mouth full of cheese, “I have just never – NEVER – been so pumped in a club before. Sure, playing my song was a definite highlight-” Dana grinned lazily in drunken agreement, “-but that whole set was amazing! I think she’s really, really talented and I just know I have to get her in the studio somehow.”
Dana grabbed yet another straw from the bar, now enjoying her drink through no less than six different coloured straws.
“Dude she’s coming over, ask her if she wants a straw.”
“Oh!” Ashley spun on her stool to grin at Cory. “Hey! What a set!!!” She was practically bouncing on her seat in excitement.
Dana spun too, holding out a bunch of straws in her hand.
“Ta-da!”
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Jun 24, 2017 20:02:14 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2017 20:02:14 GMT
live fast, die young
Water washed over her face from her own cupped hands, continuously dipping down under the faucet to gather some more. She lifted her head from the sink, damp hair hanging loose over her forehead, and grabbed a small washcloth that hung on the rusted rung by the mirror. After a few pats, she was relatively dry and caught a glimpse of the lipstick-written 'SOUL' on the corner of the glass reflection. Even without context it had her smirking.
The 'green room' - really just a messy employee lounge backstage - was empty now that it was later. Most were out serving, dishing out drinks, or wiring up for the next set. Cory hopped out of the bathroom, grabbed her wallet to slide into her back pocket, and took a deep breath before opening the door to the threshold of the club. Cory walked around the edge of the perimeter with eyes searching for her new friend. Was she allowed to call her that?
When she caught sight of her, Cory's eyes lit and she practically jogged her way over. "Hey!" She gave a mock punch to McKenna's shoulder to try and seem as relaxed as possible when really she was actually insanely nervous to hear the feedback. When it finally came out, her shoulders dropped and her eyes went wide - a huge grin plastered onto her face. "Are you serious! I'm so glad you liked it, holy shit! Ahhh!" her hands went up with a chuckle, running through her short hair to try and fix it before straws popped up in front of her face.
"Oh, hey there," Cory blinked and laughed, getting her bearings with the very drunk friend that had joined late. A second went by of thought before she snapped her fingers and gave a small point her way. "Uhhh Dana, right? Cory," she nodded to introduce herself and took a look at her current state. "Youuuu've been having some fun. Did you like your song? They loved it, you kick ass!" she looked back to McKenna, jumpy and excited.
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You've got to be what tomorrow needs!
ALIAS
McKenna Chase
AGE
21
Civilian
|
Jun 25, 2017 20:20:32 GMT
Post by Ashley McKenna-Chase on Jun 25, 2017 20:20:32 GMT
I Need Noise Dana gasped and turned to Ashley. “She knows my name!” Then, pointing an accusatory finger at Cory, she frowned and said, “You psychic, dude?”
Ashley cast Cory an apologetic look before quickly flipping back to join in the excitement.
“It was so good! I loved how everything built.” She started talking animatedly with her hands to demonstrate. “It had everything and more from that original demo, I just love how it sounds like its own song. Seriously, I’m going to talk to someone at the studio and see if we can bring you in – maybe we could do a re-release or something!” Ashley’s eyes lit up.
Hopefully Cory was getting all of that; it was kind of hard to make yourself heard in a place like this. Especially when Dana was beside her, loudly chatting away to a nearby stranger about the classes she was taking next semester. The random girl was doing her best to look interested but clearly didn’t quite understand Dana’s anguish at having one whole 8am class every week.
“Excuse me?”
The bartender was leaning over the bar with what looked like a lime and soda in hand, trying her best to get Ashley’s attention over the noise. Ashley took a few moments to register that she was the one being spoken to and shuffled round in her stool to talk to her.
“Oh, thanks, but I didn’t actually order-”
“It’s from him.” The bartender jabbed her thumb towards an expectant looking guy who’d tried dancing with her earlier standing further down the counter. He was leering far too much for Ashley’s tastes and she was about to refuse when Dana reached out and grabbed the glass on her behalf – downing half and spilling the rest.
“Dana, no!” Ashley cried in exasperation. The bartender moved away to serve someone else and Ashley was left to endure the bemused and persistent gaze of the man who’d bought them the drink. Creep.
She ducked her head as she turned back to Cory.
“Sorry about that, guess he’s not one to take no for an answer…” Ashley shook her head. “Anyway, where were we?”
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Jun 25, 2017 21:45:30 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2017 21:45:30 GMT
live fast, die young
'You psychic, dude?' Cory lifted a piqued brow and let out a sultry, overly-sarcastic "Maybe." Dana was cute and definitely the type that she would've passed a few flirts too, but she was sooo intoxicated. What would have been some attraction was now replaced with oh-geez-let-me-help-you-to-a-cab. "Woah woah, wait, studio?" Cory leaned in closer to her, trying to hear if she'd caught that right. There was no way.
Her eyes were wide with her ear more facing her new friend than her face. She was clearly about to respond with some kind of unworthy response to make McKenna in order to reassure that wasn't at all what any of this had been about, but she was beaten by a bartender getting the singer's attention. As the small exchange went on and Dana successfully ruined her own shirt, Cory took a step back from the accident with a 'what can you do' accepting chuckle before she noticed a small change on McKenna's expression. Discomfort.
With eyebrows a bit furrowed, Coryelle followed her gaze over to a snake-like looking man with shifty eyes and greasy, combed back hair. He had scumbag written all over him... The way his shoulders hunched high and his neck hung low made him look like a predator ready to prowl. "...guess he’s not one to take no for an answer…" Of course he wasn't. Her eyes thinned towards him and his attention finally pried itself from McKenna to the warning glare she was giving him. He just met it back - unshaken and uncaring - and some ancient, dormant, thick anger started to heat in the bottom of her chest. "Where were we?"
"Hm?" she responded, face barely tilting her way with eyes still glued to the man that now just occasionally watched them out of the corner of his vision. "Oh," Cory finally looked back to her, obviously a bit distracted but without the aggression she'd been showing down the bar. She gave a studying, cautious once-over look to Markus who had many empty glasses in front of him and Dana who was still clutching the fistful of multi-colored straws. An empathetic smirk wrinkled up one side of her mouth to McKenna. "Why don't I help you get these two home," she offered, the smile widening until she caught a glimpse in her peripherals.
He was staring again.
Her head remained still but her eyes slid over to see him. She took a slow step closer to McKenna and began to lift her arm before leaning in and speaking a low "Don't freak out, trust me. Just go with it, okay?" over the music. The arm rested carefully around the girl's shoulders, head turning to give him another warning glare. All he did was smirk. Kept drinking. And shook his head patronizingly before looking down into his glass.
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You've got to be what tomorrow needs!
ALIAS
McKenna Chase
AGE
21
Civilian
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Jun 29, 2017 18:22:05 GMT
Post by Ashley McKenna-Chase on Jun 29, 2017 18:22:05 GMT
I Need Noise For a moment, Ashley was worried that Cory wasn’t really keen on discussing the potential of working together. Which was fine, neither owed the other anything, but she’d thought they had the makings of a really good team. Then she realised why Cory’s attention was being drawn away – the sleaze was still keeping his eyes firmly on her. In any case, once Cory finally managed to turn her attention back to Ashley, it was with concern for her over-indulged companions rather than talk of business. Which, yeah, was definitely reasonable.
The sudden arm around her shoulder was unexpected, but definitely understandable as she noticed the glaring exchanges between Cory and the guy at the bar. She flashed her a grateful smile – it was nice to see Cory trying to be protective, even if Ashley was sure she could handle herself. It was just some guy trying to get lucky, after all.
No, the more immediate matter that required her attention were the two drunken, loveable idiots she was lucky enough to call friends.
“Getting these guys home would probably be a good idea,” she smiled in agreement, yanking Dana’s arm away from yet another pot of straws that had been foolishly left within her reach.
Dana shot her a filthy glare, but left it at that.
Marcus on the other hand was a little more difficult to persuade away from the bar. He’d finally tired of dancing and had been back to drink some more, leaving a disarray of empty glasses – mostly shots – in his wake. When Ashley quietly pointed out that they were going to go, pointing out Dana’s current state, he completely blanked her and tried to order another shot. The bartender politely declined to serve him.
“I’m not even that drunk,” he whined, pouting at Ashley. “Tell her! I’m not as think as you drunk I am, lady!”
“Oookay, time to go.”
As they left – Marcus trying his best to slip away at every opportunity – Ashley caught the guy at the bar out of the corner of her eye. He was standing up. Probably needed the loo.
Probably nothing, right?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2017 9:14:55 GMT
live fast, die young
"Getting these guys home would probably be a good idea," thankfully, she seemed to understand the sudden awkwardness of a semi-acquaintance wrapping an arm around her. If her and this Marcus guy were a 'thing', he was doing a real shit job. Cory usually wasn't one to judge too harshly... but situations like this made it a hell of a lot easier. "Yeah, they're going to feel super good when they wake up tomorrow," she winced down at McKenna and let her slide out to go confront Markus.
"Hey, Dana," she called with an almost-hesitation at remembering the name. Thankfully, the girl responded with a quick turn, a very wide grin, and another handful of colorful straws. "My psychic senses are telling us we should get a cab." Luckily she laughed more than disagreed, stumbling towards McKenna to be led out.
Marcus walked well enough on his own which was both good and bad, leaving Cory to capture him each time he tried to sneak away while Dana was practically reliant on holding hands with her singer pal. Cory hadn't seen the man from the bar stand up while she'd been ushering Marcus back towards the door to follow the rest of their group out... so it was to her surprise when they walked out of the club's entrance that she saw his back and an arm reaching out to set uninvited on McKenna's shoulder.
Before she could even stop herself, she'd placed hers like a mirror onto his left shoulder, pulling him around to face her, and was met with a nasty "the fuck, bitch" before popping him so fast and hard in the face that it had her realizing seconds after she really should have pulled back... He was lucky if he'd walk away with a broken nose. He bled and cursed (which was a good sign) as he bent over and her punch had earned a few ooo's and the like from a nearby group that had left and seen his bee-line towards the shorter girl. They obviously hadn't felt too sorry for him.
While she wanted to feel regret for maybe having hit him too hard and too fast, it was a bit difficult to. Good. He got the hint. She tried to take a step past him and then mentally berated herself for having felt the need to turn back around and bend over to him. "Every time that wakes you up in the middle of the night because you turned your ugly face wrong, I want you to remember that you decided to be a douchebag." He groaned, holding his nose and staunching the blood that came from his nostrils with his now-ruined shirt, and Cory turned back around with a deep breath to McKenna - face immediately apologetic and awaiting criticism.
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You've got to be what tomorrow needs!
ALIAS
McKenna Chase
AGE
21
Civilian
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Post by Ashley McKenna-Chase on Jul 2, 2017 12:40:17 GMT
I Need Noise “I had fun tonight,” Ashley said happily to Dana as they meandered out of the club entrance.
“S’been crazy,” Dana slurred in agreement. “I need to nap now. Or a cab. Cab-nap. Cap-nab?”
Ashley burst into giggles and was just about to join in with Dana’s drunken word play when she realised that somebody behind was reaching out for her. She turned, wondering if it was Marcus trying to drag them back inside, and was met with the sudden picture of Cory slamming her fist into somebody’s face.
She let out a scream of surprise – couldn’t help it – and moved forwards to see if the guy was okay. Blood had spilled out from his nose and he was crouched in agony, blocking her from getting a full view of his face, but she vaguely recognised the clothes he was wearing.
Cory issued him a cold, biting reprimand and Ashley realised abruptly where she recognised the clothing from. He was the guy at the bar who’d tried to get her to dance, the one who’d ordered her a drink and stared even when she’d tried her best to signal her disinterest. Sure, he’d been a creep, but she wasn’t sure he deserved this. Maybe he’d been the one reaching for her just then, but that didn’t mean he was going to hurt her.
She stared wide-eyed, gaze flickering between Cory and the man hunched over in pain.
“What… why did you do that?” she stammered. How? That must have been one hell of a punch.
Cory’s face didn’t look triumphant, at least. She even seemed a little ashamed.
“Dude, that was si-”
Ashley cut Marcus off with a stern glare – one which quickly softened into one of surprise once she realised that her glare had actually worked. Shaking her head quickly, she turned back to Cory.
“Do we need to get him to a hospital?” she asked, feeling panicked. “I don’t know if I should be seen like this, not if somebody with a camera knows who McKenna is.” Ashley’s eyes darted around. So far nobody was really staring. There’d been a group who’d witnessed it but they had already disappeared into the night, clearly not concerned. That didn’t mean someone might not come along though. She didn’t think her fragile new popularity would handle getting mixed up in an assault case very well.
However, Cory had clearly just been trying to defend her from someone she perceived to be a threat. She couldn’t just wash her hands of the DJ like that.
Maybe the guy wasn’t too badly hurt, or suitably embarrassed that he wouldn’t want to press charges. The guy still hadn’t said anything that wasn’t an expletive, so she couldn’t be sure just yet. Ashley frowned, eyes fixed hopefully on Cory’s for guidance. What should she do? She still had Dana hanging off one arm and Marcus looking paler by the second. Their night had definitely taken a sudden turn for the worse…
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2017 21:16:09 GMT
live fast, die young
Oh, it was bad. It was so incredibly, horribly, terribly bad. The look that McKenna gave her made a knot of guilt twist in her stomach. Had she been by herself, she wouldn't have given a damn what happened to the moaning man by them, but now she'd disappointed not only a new friend she'd made but an up-and-coming celebrity that was definitely trying to avoid drawing the wrong kind of attention. Though she was thankful that none had been on her one hit KO punch... only intoxicated eyes had seen her.
Cory stammered the beginning of words that never came out, racing in her mind for a way to try and make it right. "You said he didn't take no for an answer! I thought that-!... Shit!" she cursed herself, putting a hand to her forehead as if it'd help her think more clearly. When McKenna had gotten closer to the man and inquired a hospital, he quickly stood a bit further up and attempted to brush her away with injured pride and an angry, "Back the hell off!" Well, that was a bit of a good sign.
They needed to get out of here and fast. Any other person she would've told to deal with it, that the guy had deserved it. But... McKenna was different. Somehow, their tiny bit of friendship just felt more genuine - and she wasn't keen on ruining that this early. Not tonight. Being the all-or-nothing gal that she was, Cory did the first thing that came to her mind when the singer had looked at her helplessly for guidance. She really needed to pick someone less impulsive in the future...
In a heartbeat, she flung herself into the street in front of a cab rather than hailing one. His tires screeched and he was more surprised than angered (thank God) as the brakes forced the car to a halt. "One sec!" she shouted to the driver, holding up a finger, and then ran back to the sidewalk where she wrapped one of Marcus' arms around her shoulders. to start leading him to one of the back doors. "Alrighty big guy, up and over. Just like that."
It took a second for them all to get in the car and all Cory could do was pant, not from exhaustion but from the panic. The cabby seemed to understand more of the situation just by looking at the two drunk people that'd stumbled in and hadn't been too bothered. Cory, however, was just about trying as hard as she could not to throw herself out the damn window from guilt. She was trying to come up with her million apologies that she owed once she helped get the two home.
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You've got to be what tomorrow needs!
ALIAS
McKenna Chase
AGE
21
Civilian
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Jul 16, 2017 12:46:19 GMT
Post by Ashley McKenna-Chase on Jul 16, 2017 12:46:19 GMT
I Need Noise It was obvious now which exact danger Cory had been trying to prevent, and Ashley felt a tightness in her chest just thinking about it. She still didn’t think Cory’s attack had been justified – surely not many people’s first instinct would be inflicting a potentially broken nose. A word of warning, even a yank of the arm, maybe. However, she wasn’t about to argue that right now, not when Cory looked so devastatingly apologetic and the damage had already been done.
She had said that he seemed the type not to take no for an answer, but that had been in the context of him trying to buy her a drink and she didn’t think she’d made a big deal of it. Sure, the behaviour had been the usual obnoxious, predatory clubber kind of deal, but Ashley was still surprised at the leap Cory had made. She was grateful that Cory wanted to protect her… it just seemed like an over-reaction. Maybe it had just been an excuse to pick a fight?
No, Cory wasn’t like that. Or so Ashley hoped.
The guy was definitely not interested in any kind of assistance, and Ashley wasn’t feeling overly persuaded to offer him any more charity. The more he cursed and swore at them, the more it became apparent that he wasn’t in any immediate danger and was actually just rather pissed off. She didn’t really want to hang around for him to recover enough to retaliate.
Fortunately Cory was on that same wavelength, and with one reckless move she had grabbed a taxi for them and between them they managed to bundle both Dana and Marcus inside. She caught the guy glaring at them, middle finger extended, as they pulled away but at least he was no longer shouting insults.
Ashley sighed and tilted her head back, patting Dana’s knee reassuringly as she began to whine about not even needing a cab-nap any more. Luckily Dana didn’t live far from the club and before long she had been dropped off and safely placed under the wing of a roommate. Marcus was chatting away nonsensically through the following five minutes it took to get to his place, and Ashley was grateful for it. It drowned out the deafening silence that hung in the unspoken words between her and Cory.
They eventually pulled up to his place and watched him safely stagger inside, waving back at them through a window. Ashley grinned, waved back, and then finally looked up at Cory to offer a tentative smile.
“You okay?”
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2017 8:21:41 GMT
live fast, die young
The cab ride was horrible. It had easily been the longest six minutes of her life to get Dana home and then the longest ten or so for Markus. Cory sat in the front seat the whole time to make things a bit less tense for McKenna - hopefully - who sat with her friends in the back. Her eyes were either drifting to anything she could focus on outside, streetlights and the like, or practically glued to the taxi's clock to will the damn thing to move. She could swear it was mocking her by going slow.
A bouncing leg in the front gave away her anxiousness for something to pop into her head that she could say to make it all better, but that wasn't how stupid decisions worked. She just had to reap what she'd sown damn it. Cory had stepped out of the cab with McKenna to help get Markus up the stairs to his place until they were confident he could go on his own, and when he had finished his goodbye the shorter girl had turned and given her a look that just made the guilt that much heavier. It'd be easier if she were pissed and yelling. Was she okay?
"Not if you look at me like thaaaat," she whined, throwing her hands up to hold behind her head and turn around with a much needed few paces to let out her self-frustration. "I invited you out to a job I just got and then slammed a dude's face into next week in front of your boyfriend!" her hands left her head with spread fingers, arms stretched out until falling heavily down at her sides. "It's just- you said he didn't like 'no' and then I thought that he was some major creep. He kept looking over and he followed you out and then he grabbed your arm and-," Cory finally turned around, put a hand on the back of her neck, and took a deep breath with an achingly apologetic expression - genuine and ashamed. "I'm sorry... I'd say I majorly owe you but," a humorless scoff left her, "Think I just screwed the pooch on the whole inviting-you-anywhere thing."
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You've got to be what tomorrow needs!
ALIAS
McKenna Chase
AGE
21
Civilian
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Aug 11, 2017 16:47:45 GMT
Post by Ashley McKenna-Chase on Aug 11, 2017 16:47:45 GMT
I Need Noise If people’s eyes were the windows to their souls, then Ashley’s were huge, double-storey affairs with the curtains thrown open and the glass so transparent as to be completely non-existent. She’d long ago learnt that honesty was the best policy because, for her, there wasn’t much she could hide when it came to her emotions. She was good at putting a smile on when things were tough because she was such a positive person anyway, but anyone who knew her well could tell when the smile wasn’t genuine.
So Ashley had offered her hesitant smile to Cory, trying to pretend the night hadn’t ended in the way it had, and Cory had seen straight through it.
She was grateful when Cory took a few steps away, giving them both the space to breathe without worrying about the expressions on their faces. The other girl was strangely tense and it didn’t suit her. Ashley had only ever picked up a relaxed vibe from Cory, even when she’d been starstruck and completely off-guard. To see her like this was upsetting. She relaxed a little as Cory let her arms drop – although it was more from amusement at the ‘boyfriend’ comment than anything else.
It was awful, and definitely not the reaction Ashley wanted to give, but she was still lightly and amused and that meant she couldn’t help but let out a little giggle at Cory’s final choice of wording. ‘Screwed the pooch’, what a turn of phrase.
“Sorry,” she said quickly, collecting herself as best she could. “Um, okay, look. I like you, Coryelle. You’ve been super cool to me and treated me like a real person even though, y’know…” She waved her hand dismissively, not wanting to make it about her celebrity status. “And hey, that dude was a major creep, and maybe he’ll think twice before harassing some other girl. Sure, you can’t just hit people.” Ashley did her best at a disapproving frown. “But you had good intentions, even if I can’t agree with the methods.”
She smiled now, more genuinely than before. “I really liked your set tonight, and I’d love to see more of my music given that …intoxicating edge. So I still think, I want to- it would be hella cool if you wanted to work together some time in studio. Or wherever,” she added, conscious that she might not be allowed to just drag in some nobody.
“If you still want to, that is, I totally understand. Take some time to think about it, call me if you want?”
It felt the best way forward. She still wanted to see more of Cory, just perhaps not in an environment conducive to bar fights. A professional working relationship seemed solid middle ground, for now.
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