Closed Crossing Paths

[Vera Ito]

Vera sighed and set down her bag at one of the only empty tables in the cafe. The large coffee she ordered burning her tongue as she took a big sip too soon. She cursed under her breath but could feel the caffeine starting to make her head buzz. She was exhausted, after the Australian tour with the band and a large batch of commissions due at the same time Vera felt like she hardly had time to breath let alone eat or sleep like a normal person. But she took a moment to be grateful, busy meant the money was good and as an artist the money wasn't always good. Vera took the time to glance around the cafe and take in the peculiar crowd. This place was frequented by magical and muggle alike and she was always curious to see if she could tell who was who. But she narrowed her eyes when she spotted a familiar looking guy who she couldn't place. She kept her eyes on him, not caring that she was most definitely staring at that point. She took another sip of her coffee, it wasn't as hot now but it still felt funny on the part of her tongue she burnt a moment before.

 

[Vivian Brackenstall]

As hard as he tried, Vivian couldn't not feel a bit strange about going to places he sometimes performed for a drink or a meal. The more time he spent writing and making music, the more shows he did, the more he was starting to think he had chosen the wrong major. Philosophy was fascinating, he loved it, but music was... something else. He didn't know if he ever had it in him to really make it, but performing felt... good. He was starting to get recognised from time to time, and as flattering as it was, he didn't know what to do with that at all. He had come to fear it a little bit, and that fear was always heightened in places he had performed before. So as nerve-wracking as it was, it wasn't entirely surprising when he felt eyes on him as he ordered an obscenely large coffee he had been hoping would get him through the rest of the essay he had due. Rather than looking away though, Vivian paused, staring back at the woman for a moment. She looked familiar, but he couldn't place where he knew her from. Hogwarts, maybe? While years ago he would have shrunk away from the conversation, Vivian had long since outgrown his shy years, making his way over to the woman's table coffee in hand. "Sorry, do I know you?" He asked slowly, voice still soft despite his newfound confidence. "You look really familiar but I can't place it."

 

[Vera Ito]

Vera was glad to see that the guy had decided to approach her. It kept her from having to do that work herself. "You play music, right?" she asked but by now she was sure of it. She recognized him now but she couldn't seem to remember his name. "I've seen you play around here before." she said and gestured to the empty seat at her table. The shop was crowded and if he had wanted to sit it wasn't like he had many options. “My name is Vera." she said as she introduced herself. "I’m a drummer in a band called Ashes." she explained. "You've probably seen us around at some point." she added, with zero trace of arrogance. Vera wasn't trying to brag, just stating a fact. The music scene wasn't huge and if you knew one band you knew them all. She let a comfortable silence fall but looked expectantly at the stranger across from her, waiting for his introduction.

 

[Vivian Brackenstall]

Vivian nodded when the woman asked if he played music, unable to help the slight flush of his cheeks. He had been recognised in public a couple of times now, and he didn't know if he would ever get used to it. "I do." He said a bit awkwardly, taking the seat she offered. Vivian relaxed as Vera introduced herself, the pieces clicking into place in his mind. "Oh, yes, I've seen you guys play. You're good." He said quickly, glad this hopefully wasn't going to be as awkward a conversation as he had anticipated. "I'm Vivian, I... only started playing publicly a couple of years ago." He admitted quietly.

 

[Vera Ito]

Vera was momentarily relieved that she had recognized him correctly. This encounter would have become slightly more awkward if she had been mistaken. "Thank you." she said with a small smile in response to his compliment. She had been playing music with Leo since she was a kid, and they had worked hard to get where they were but compliments, especially from other musicians, always seemed to fluster her a bit. She took a sip of her coffee as a distraction and thankfully it had cooled down to a drinkable temperature. "Really?" Vera asked curiously when he admitted he hadn't been preforming long. She was thoughtful for a moment, thinking of the couple time she had seen him play before. "You seem like you've been playing longer." she said with a shrug.

 

[Vivian Brackenstall]

Vivian smiled back shyly when Vera thanked him, trying to just hold onto his cool around someone he respected. Though he had been doing well at coming out of his shell the last few years, it was still difficult to maintain that confidence around people more experienced than him in the musical field. "Oh... yeah. I mean, I've been playing since I was a kid." He laughed nervously. "I had just... never performed publicly before starting uni." He hesitated, struggling a little to think of ways to keep the conversation going as he took a quick sip from his cup. "How about you, how long have you been playing?"

 

[Vera Ito]

Vera swirled the contents of her cup as Vivian spoke. "What instruments do you play?" she asked, wondering what kind of musical knowledge and background he had. "Have you always written your own music? Or is that a newer thing?" she asked, keeping her eyes on him. She worried he would feel like she was interrogating him when she was simply curious. Vera considered his question and took another long sip of coffee before putting the cup down again. "Well Leo and I have been making music together since we were teenagers. So at least ten years now." she began. "But we didn't settle into our current line up until a few years ago." she explained. It was a little crazy to think just how much their sound had evolved since she started, let alone when Delaney and Asher joined the band.

 

[Vivian Brackenstall]

Vivian wasn't used to being asked about his process, shrugging nervously. "I only play piano, and I've.... only started writing music in the last few years." He said slowly, able to hear some of the painfully familiar old nerves creeping into his voice. "I've always played piano, and I've always written poetry, but I only really put it together when I was seventeen." He looked away, hoping to sidestep the 'why' of that statement. He listened with interest when Vera talked about her journey to where she was now, nodding slowly. "That's really cool. It must be fun to play and write songs with other people."

 

[Vera Ito]

Vera watched him intently as he spoke. “You have a really refined sound for only being at it relatively recently.” she said earnestly. She could tell he was a little nervous but she couldn’t imagine why. “I’m sure the poetry has helped.” she added with a small reassuring smile. She could only assume but felt confident it was true. She was never good with pretty words and preferred painting or music when it came to working through big emotions.

“It is fun.” she said slowly, considering her next words carefully. Vera had no misconceptions about her collaboration skills. She knew better than anyone that she wasn’t always the easiest person to work with. She was never good at expressing her thoughts and feelings verbally, which made her a good artist but a terrible bandmate at times. It took awhile for the others to understand her and for her to figure out how to make her thoughts known in a productive way. “But it can take some getting used to. It’s a skill that needs to be worked on like any other thing.” she add, trying to sound wise instead of saying 'it can also suck'. “Have you ever considered playing with a band? Or experimenting with a fuller sound?”

 

[Vivian Brackenstall]

It felt good to hear, but Vivian didn't know if he would ever get used to people saying nice things about his music. He was barely used to sharing it, and the compliments still felt... misplaced, almost. He was too polite to say so though, giving Vera a shy smile. "Thanks." He said quietly, trying to let the praise sink in. He nodded with interest when Vera talked about playing with a group of people. Vivian had always been curious what it would be like to be in a band, but he had never really had the contacts to come close. He flushed slightly when she asked if he had considered it, shrugging. "I'd like to collaborate with people." He said slowly. "And I definitely picture.... you know, grander arrangements for my songs than just... me at the piano. But I've never really had musical friends, so..." He shrugged awkwardly and took a sip of his coffee.

 

[Vera Ito]

Vera picked up her coffee and frowned as she took a sip of her now cold coffee. She couldn't stand cold coffee, but at least she had drank most of it. And she smirked when Vivian mentioned not having musical friends. “Well lucky for you I actually have a few to spare.” she said playfully. “My band and I actually live together which makes creating music easy, if not a little hectic personally.” she explained. Most of the time she enjoyed the boys even if they drove her crazy at times with their noise and mess, but she wouldn't give it up for anything. "I have an idea." she stated plainly before picking up her bag and digging through it to find a business card. "Why don't you stop by sometime and we can help you out with your sound." she said when she finally found a card and handed it over. "And I will be expecting to hear from you." she said seriously. Vera could tell he was shy but hopefully guilting him would make him follow through. He had a lot of promise and she didn't want him wasting it.

 

[Vivian Brackenstall]

Vivian nodded with interest when Vera divulged that she lived with her entire band, trying to imagine what that would be like. He didn't have the fondest memories of living with other people - he didn't think he had ever exchanged more than two words with Austin in seven years, and as for Tristan... the less thought about him, the better. Living with a group of creative people could be nice, though. Working on projects together... bouncing ideas off each other. Vivian had to admit he liked the idea. His eyes widened slightly when Vera said she had an idea, widening further when she offered him a card. "Oh! That would be really great!" Vivian said, surprised at the sincerity in his voice. It would be nice, having creative friends in the magical world. He didn't think any of Vera's bandmates had been at school with him, and that was ideal. "I'll definitely get in touch." He nodded when she added that she would be expecting him, smiling shyly. "Thank you for this."

 

[Vera Ito]

Vera checked the time and was surprised how long they had managed to chat for. She had told Leo she would be home soon and didn't want to make him worry. She smiled as Vivian thanked her for the card. "It's no problem." she assured him. “Well I actually have to get going.” she said, briskly but paused. “But it was very nice to meet you Vivian.” she said earnestly, not wanting him to think she was just blowing him off. Vera collected her things quickly and turned back one more time. “And I am serious. Keep in touch.” she said and pointed a finger at him before she left, hoping he would take her up on the offer.