Open Open Mic Night

[Vivian Brackenstall]

The hobby Vivian had been finding comfort in since leaving Hogwarts was one he never would have dreamed would be part of his life during his time as a student. Vivian had always loved music, found comfort and escape in playing the piano, but never in his life had he done so for an audience. Until recently. Vivian was enjoying his Philosophy classes immensely, loving immersing himself in the muggle world, where he could safely reinvent himself, become a whole new person. And that new person, after a few drinks with his classmates one night, had discovered a new love. Open mic nights.

The piles of poems Vivian had composed over the years of his life felt so much more cathartic when he set them to music and sang them out loud. All of the feelings he had been piling up finally released in a form he had the final control over. And people seemed to like them, he had never gotten a bad reception yet. It was helping to boost his confidence, even more so than freeing himself from Tristan had. Fingers flying across the last few keys, voice singing out the final note of his last song, Vivian was filled with a rush of warmth at the end of his final set of the night. He smiled and gave a small bow to the people watching, before stepping down from the stage to let someone else have a turn. The cafe he had been performing at today was far too small for open mic nights, the stage an impossibly tiny space crowded around with tables packed far too close and far too full. It took a fair amount of squeezing to make his way to the counter and order a coffee, looking around for a place to sit and enjoy the rest of the show.

 

[Francis Ruis]

Frankie sometimes wondered whether muggles might actually be onto to something sometimes. Life for them just seemed so much simpler, and Frankie enjoyed how muggle places could provide a certain level of anonymity that the close-knit wizarding community here couldn't. The chances of Frankie running into someone he knew was far lower than any of his usual haunts around Brightstone and it was the perfect escape for when home was feeling particularly stifling. Maybe it would be easier for Frankie to just go live in the muggle world, forget about magic. But his mother had sacrificed so much to keep Frankie in touch with his own magic, more than his deadbeat muggle father ever had, so Frankie always quickly discarded the idea. He still couldn't help that think muggles might be onto something sometimes though.

The cafe's open mic night was a particular draw when Frankie needed an escape, though it was a roll of the dice if the performance was going to be laughably terrible, or surprisingly good. The most recent performer had fallen into the latter, Frankie was caught not only by the guy's striking dark hair, but also the emotion behind what he was singing. He couldn't help but wonder over to the guy after his set was done, leaning against the counter next to him to catch his attention. "Hey, I loved your set," Frankie said easily, trying to tilt his head to catch the guy's eye. "I'd offer to buy you a drink, but I think that ship has sailed, so maybe I can interest you in a muffin? I'm a fan of feeding the starving artist types." The last part was a lie, but the line was easy, and Frankie found he wanted to see if he could make the guy laugh.

 

[Waldo Wigham]

Waldo always enjoyed a good open mic night, finding it uplifting and inspiring to see musicians of all ages and from all walks of life gather in one place to showcase their talent. He found that whether the musician was magical or a muggle, their emotions and stories could be conveyed in music that both warmed his heart and made it sink in his chest all the same. That night Waldo was in a muggle venue, and usually in such a place, he would remain at a table near the back of the room with a beer, as any short and eccentric looking person would do as to not draw attention to themselves. But after the performance of one particular and familiar person, Waldo couldn’t help but change his routine and stand up from his seat. He and his wife were in the process of organizing a get together for various magical folk, and after spotting the same musician he saw performing in a magical pub not too long ago, Waldo wanted to approach the kid about being the entertainment for the event. Waldo with his mug of beer in one hand, walked over to where the kid was standing with another person. “G’day kids, don’t mind me interrupting yeh, this won’t take long.” He greeted the pair with a smile, then focused his attention on the musician. “My name’s Waldo, and my wife and I are organizing an event, I'd love to have yeh perform for the evening if it interests you.” Waldo kept his smile wide and his voice friendly, hopeful that the boy would say yes.​

 

[Vivian Brackenstall]

Vivian had been approached after sets before, but usually by women. It was... flattering certainly, but Vivian didn't really know what to do with himself around women, and he usually found himself apologising more than was strictly necessary. It was an uncomfortable situation. Today, though, to his surprise he was approached by a very cute boy, who looked to be around his age. Jackpot. Vivian arranged his face into an easy smile, having gotten plenty of practice masking his natural shyness when it came to flirting over the past year. "How could I say no to such a generous offer?" Vivian smiled, leaning against the counter casually. "And who do I have to thank for it?" He added, trying to figure the boy out. He was almost certainly a muggle, given the venue, possibly another first year at his university.

Vivian's thoughts were interrupted by a third party joining the conversation, and he felt himself falling out of flirty mode immediately. He had picked up music to vent, and performing had only ever been something he had done for fun. He had never even thought about the possibility of being asked to perform. Unless... this was just a front for something else? He hesitated, mind drawing a blank. What would Mum say? She was the only person Vivian knew who actually understood anything about business. "... I'll, uh... I'll have to discuss it with my agent." Vivian lied slowly, deciding in that moment that his mum was officially hired as his agent. "Do you have a card? And what... kind of event is it?"

 

[Francis Ruis]

Frankie smiled when the guy accepted his offer to buy him something, hoping he wasn't mistaking the spark of interest there and leaning in just a bit. "I'm Frankie. I might have been too distracted by the music to catch your name though-" Frankie started, but was interrupted by another guy approaching them. Frankie had to spend a few minutes distracted by the novelty of being able to stare clean over the top of the guy's head before he caught onto what was happening. "Guess I'm not the only one with good taste tonight." He said softly, giving the cute guy a little smile before turning to the barista and leave him to discuss business with the newcomer.

Frankie took a moment to order himself a drink and follow through on his muffin offer, still trying to listen in on the pair's conversation as he did before turning back, squinting at Waldo. The temptation to tease or make a few jokes at Waldo's expense was palpable, but the last thing Frankie wanted to do was accidentally burn any bridges for the cute musician guy, at least before Frankie got a chance to know him at least, so Frankie kept his mouth shut, sipping on his coffee when it arrived and watching the conversation with polite interest, though his eyes lingered on the musician.