Closed My Pretty Little Protégé

[Asher Beckett]

Asher had taken Onyx under his wing after he had found the boy outside his house, hiding and playing the violin. He'd often had Onyx over, the boy practicing his music and asking Asher all sorts of questions for hours on end. So, of course, when he had found out that his little protégé was working as a lounge singer, Asher didn't hesitate to make a trip to Paris just to see the boy perform. Asher was impressed, Onyx was learning well.

He sat in one of the booths, sipping on a mixed drink and watching the boy. Something was different about Onyx, he seemed... lighter. Happier. Like something good had happened. He studied Onyx's work. The harmonies were excellent, the timing on point. Onyx seemed to vary between choreographed dancing and playing instruments, and as far as Asher could see, the crowd was eating it up. Ash smiled softly, not really paying attention to the rest of the bar as he watched the boy at work. Little Nyxy really does look all grown up, Asher chuckled to himself.

 

[Darcy Pratt]

Darcy knew it was rather pathetic to be going out alone but it had been a while since she had gotten out of her apartment other than work, so she wanted to blow off some steam. She had heard about this lounge that had live music and it seemed like the perfect thing to keep her entertained while solo, rather than just sitting at a bar alone. As she walked in she noticed it was a little more crowded than she expected but she headed to the bar first.

She took a moment to look over the drinks menu before deciding on a drink she wasn't too familiar with but sounded pretty good. As she waited for the drink to be made she looked over her shoulder to watch the performer. They were pretty good, she could see why the crowd was enjoying his performance, even if it wasn't exactly Darcy's taste. As her drink floated over to her, the redhead caught the glass and looked around for a free seat. Was it possible all these people were here for the artist on stage or was this lounge simply always this popular?

No sooner had she begun walking over towards a booth that might be free than someone bumped into her squeezing by to get closer to the small lounge stage without so much as a sorry to her. Darcy's drink slipped out of her hand and crashed on the ground, the sound of the glass shattering disrupting the performance and turning several heads nearby. "S-sorry," she muttered, and and quickly waved her wand to repair the glass, though it was empty now, its contents now on the floor. The Slytherin huffed softly in annoyance; she didn't even get to taste it.

 

[Asher Beckett]

Asher looked over when he heard a glass shatter. Automatically, he stood and walked over to the woman. He waved to the bartender as he stood, and by the time he reached her he had a refill for her in his hand. He gave her a soft smile, offering the beverage out. "People can be so reckless. Do you want to come sit with me? I have a good view of the stage," He offered, giving her a gentle smile.

 

[Darcy Pratt]

Darcy was about to go and order herself another drink and perhaps this time just stay at the bar to avoid bumping into anyone else, when all of a sudden a new drink was being presented to her. She looked up at the man offering it to her and raised an eyebrow skeptically before looking over at the bar to see the bartender giving her a reassuring nod. She wasn't typically one to take things from strangers, not drinks or seats, especially not strangers that looked like him. But seeing as seating was limited, she supposed taking advantage of a free space couldn't hurt. Plus she didn't want her feet to hurt from standing too long either. "Alright then," she said, smoothing down her dress to make sure there weren't any spills as she sat down at the tattooed man's booth. Once she was settled she realized belatedly that she probably should've said thank you. "Thank you," it wasn't quite sincere but it was the thought that counted right? "For saving me a trip to the bar and having to go through the crowd again, and for giving me a place to sit." She figured elaborating might make her sound nicer. "I'm Darcy," she introduced, extending her hand.

 

[Asher Beckett]

Asher followed the girl back to his booth, smiling softly and sipping at his own drink again. He listened to her thanks, nodding. It was an attempt at least, and one he appreciated. He nodded, giving her a small smile. "I'm Asher," he introduced, shaking her hand before relaxing in his seat. He smiled warmly as he watched Onyx performing. "He's doing well, isn't he?" He mused, sipping his drink.

 

[Darcy Pratt]

Darcy smiled as the man introduced himself, glad he didn't seem to be too offended by her curtness to kick her out of his booth. She finally took a sip of her drink and was glad she had that she'd gotten the free refill after all as it was very good. If she wasn't careful this would loosen her tongue too much so she took small sips. She nodded in agreement at the man's question and answered honestly, "Yes he is. The crowd seems to like him." She looked over at Asher and noted how the two men seemed similarly styled. "Are you performing too?" she wondered curiously.

 

[Asher Beckett]

Ash chuckled softly at the girls question and shook his head. "No, the band would kill me if I went out and took on small solo gigs like this," he replied easily. "We work on a more professional level. I'm just here for Onyx. He's got quite the talent, but he's only just started getting back into it after his injury," he told her, looking up to the boy with a bit of pride in his eyes.

 

[Darcy Pratt]

Darcy raised an eyebrow as Asher revealed a lounge like this was too small for him since he was in a more professional band. "Oh that's sweet," she said in reference to him supporting the performer on stage. It was nice of him that he didn't think too highly of him showing up to a small gig. She didn't want to pry about the injury he mentioned so instead she focused on Asher. "Not afraid of being mobbed by adoring fans in a place like this?" she asked, curious how famous this person might be. It didn't change her opinion on him either way but she wondered if she would regret striking up a conversation with him.

 

[Asher Beckett]

Asher chuckled softly. "I've mastered the art of blending in. I get called out every now and then, but I know the owners, things stay pretty cool." He sipped his drink, looking back to her. "I only really come in to see him, little Nyxy is the little brother I didn't ask for," he told her, before laughing and shaking his head. "Enough about me, though. What brought you in here, Miss Darcy?"

 

[Darcy Pratt]

Darcy didn't know if she quite believed that Asher could blend in. With his tattoos and general style it seemed he quite enjoyed standing out, but of course magic had its uses for making yourself invisible to others if you wanted. She let out a small chuckle as he talked of the man on stage with the fondness of an older sibling. "Careful, you'll embarrass him if he hears you talk about him like that to others," she said in jest, thinking of her younger sisters and how they hated being babied in front of others. Darcy took a sip of her drink and shrugged her shoulders as he asked what brought her here. "I was going a little stir crazy so I had to get out for a bit. I kept hearing about this place so I figured I should finally check it out." She wasn't one to usually make small talk with guys like this but Asher hadn't tried to hit on her yet so she was feeling more comfortable than usual. She hoped she wouldn't regret that. "My sister said she might meet here but knowing her she got invited to somewhere way cooler," the redhead rolled her eyes playfully.

 

[Asher Beckett]

Asher chuckled. "As his self-appointed big brother, it is my job to embarrass him," he teased softly. He sipped his own drink as she spoke, nodding. It was well known in certain circles, and she had a certain air about her that made him think she was a bit more prim than others. In a good way, of course. He chuckled as she spoke of her sister. "I've heard something similar before from my other siblings," he laughed fondly. "How many siblings do you have?" He asked, curious now about his companion.

 

[Darcy Pratt]

Darcy chuckled around the straw she was drinking from as he said it was his job to embarrass him. Maybe it was a brother thing, because she liked to think she maintained a sense of decorum around her siblings, if anything they embarrassed her. She was about to ask him how many siblings he had when he mentioned other siblings, when the same question was directed at her first. She cocked her head to the side as she counted. "Five," she said, "I'm number 4 of 6," she added, old enough to have younger sisters to boss around but young enough to have older brothers to pester her. "How many do you have? Are they all 'self-appointed' as well?" she asked with playfulness in her voice.

 

[Asher Beckett]

Asher nodded, thinking six seemed like a lot of kids. He sighed. "Oh, let me see. I have two biological siblings, twin girls, younger. But I have two little brothers in the house now two- Allison's best friend Stan, his mom left him so we took him in. Then my cousin Casper, he's the same age as the girls. My uncle," Asher scowled. "Adopted Casper as a kid, then kicked him out for being an artist. My dad is not happy," He shook his head.

"As far as adopted, there's Onyx up there," he nodded to the man performing. "He lost his memories a while back and I caught him in my back yard practicing his violin. Sweet boy, really." Ash laughed at the memory, before sighing softly. "Then the band, of course. Vera and Leo are like the responsible ones. Leo makes the healthy food and Vera keeps us in line." He smiled warmly. "Delaney is like a little brother. We wrestle a lot, cause a lot of trouble." Ash laughed.

 

[Darcy Pratt]

Darcy's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he began listing off all his siblings. She had always thought her family was unnecessarily big but that paled in comparison to his large, unorthodox family. "Wow, and I thought I had a lot of siblings," she chuckled. Though what shocked her more was how open the man was with the details. Darcy preferred to keep it simple with only the necessary information, but he didn't mind divulging others' information. She glanced over at the performer, Onyx, as he mentioned losing his memories, but even though the information would probably be available to her if she asked, she wasn't going to pry further. "I'm an artist too and I can't imagine what I would do if my parents hadn't let me pursue that," Darcy commented, though she supposed with a trust fund as big as theirs pursuing 'hobbies' wasn't a risk for them. "How old are the youngest ones? Still in school?" she guessed.

 

[Asher Beckett]

Asher sipped on his drink, nodding easily. "Yeah, the kids are fourth years at Hogwarts New Zealand," he told her easily, smiling. "What about you? How old are your youngest siblings?" He asked, smiling as Onyx danced on the stage. He had to hand it to the kid, he was a performer. It wasn't overdone, like it was so easy to do in settings like this. Onyx was dramatic enough, sure, but he had a flair for style.

 

[Darcy Pratt]

Darcy smiled as he mentioned her old school. "Oh I went there for my last four years," she told him. "I transferred from Beauxbatons when my oldest sister became a professor there," she said, feeling herself give more details than she usually would, just to even out the exchange of information. She hesitated to add, "She became our guardian when our parents died, so we kinda had to follow her there. But we're all adults now, my youngest sister is twenty I think," she answered his question, thinking back to how young Ella had been when Kennedy had become their guardian thirteen years ago. She took a deep sip of her drink since she rarely ever talked about her parents deaths, and kept her eyes trained on Onyx on stage. "So is it a family requirement to be in a band?" she asked with a playful tone.

 

[Asher Beckett]

Asher chuckled. "I went to Hogwarts Scotland. Got expelled in sixth year." He shrugged. His smile faded a little as she said their parents had died and he nodded softly. "Well, I'm glad you have each other," He gave her a soft smile. He chuckled as she asked about the band. "It would be amusing, but no. I was the last one to join the band, don't let the name fool you," he winked playfully. "Leo and the others adopted me, in a way, and I adopted Onyx," he looked back up to the man with a fond smile. He seemed to be finishing off his set.

 

[Darcy Pratt]

Darcy chuckled softly at his confession that he got expelled from school. She had always been studious so the idea of being expelled was unimaginable to her. "Well if being a musician was your calling I suppose school isn't so important to that?" she offered, trying to think of the silver lining. It seems it didn't bother him much that he hadn't finished school whereas Darcy was still trying to find a way to make up for her dismal NEWTs with further education. It had been the topic that had interested her the most during the Minister of Magic elections a few years ago yet nothing had been done for those seeking to retroactively get their diplomas or further wizarding school.

She tilted her head to the side as he made a comment about their band name and said, "I'm not sure I got the name of your band?" She smiled as he told her about the band taking him in. "So the adoptee becomes the adopter," she joked playfully. "It's nice that he has someone to take care of him after his accident," Darcy said, nodding towards Onyx on stage. "My sister did it because she was already our family, but you do it just because you're nice," she said in jest. It wasn't as if Kennedy had protested to the guardianship, but taking on responsibility of all five of them at once unexpectedly wasn't exactly everyone's life plan. If she had to do it she felt she would definitely be complaining. She was too selfish thinking of all the things she wanted to do than care for children.

 

[Asher Beckett]

Asher chuckled. "Now you sound like Onyx with that optimism," He winked, sipping his drink. He smiled as she asked the name of the band. "Ashes. The band insignia is a rising Phoenix," He told her. He watched as Onyx launched into the last song of the set. "I suppose it was fate that Asher ended up in Ashes," he chuckled, shaking his head. "Leo and Vera started the band, I think Delaney learned bass just so he could join, if I remember right he thought it would be cool," He smirked, finishing off his drink. He looked to her. "Do you want a second one?" He asked.

 

[Darcy Pratt]

Darcy chuckled a little as he said she was being optimistic and smiled appreciatively at the explanation of the band name. "That's very fitting," she said approvingly. "It's almost as if they were waiting for you to join," she added with a cheeky smile. She finished off her drink and nodded as he offered her another one, "Yes please!" As he left to go order the drinks she wondered if her younger sister would show up as she said she might or if she would leave Darcy to fend for herself. Though if she was left to enjoy the night alone she was glad Asher seemed to be good company, she felt comfortable around him and that was a rarity for her.

 

[Asher Beckett]

Asher chuckled in agreement. He smiled, nodding before moving to fetch their drinks. He spotted Onyx finishing up his set and ordered a third drink, waving to catch the boys attention before smiling to the bartender and walking back over to Darcy. "Here you are, darling," he smirked a bit before sliding back into his seat. "Onyx should be over in a moment. Would you like me to introduce you?" He asked.